NASA's 10-Rotor UAV Hovers Like a Helicopter, Flies Like an Airplane

The GL-10 can take off vertically and transition into traditional winged flight in mid-air. (NASA Langley/David C. Bowman and Gary Banziger) NASA has rolled out what looks like the B-52 of unmanned aerial vehicles. Last week, NASA engineers successfully tested the Greased Lightning GL-10, which is a battery-powered, 10-rotor remotely piloted aircraft that can perform a useful trick: It takes off and lands like a helicopter, but can also transition to conventional flight in mid-air. Shifting from hover to wing-borne flight has long flummoxed aerospace engineers, but the GL-10 looks like a big step in the right direction.